Title: Saudi Nurses’ Retention in a University Hospital – Cross Sectional Study
Fabiana Fernandes da Costa is an accomplished nurse leader with over 13 years of international experience spanning, the National Health System in Portugal, Denmark, United Kingdom NHS, the private healthcare sector, and Saudi Arabia. Currently serving as Head Nurse of the Outpatient Department and of the University Medical Center at King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital in Riyadh, she leads a team of 68 nurses across multi centers. Fabiana is known for her compassionate leadership style and strong advocacy for psychologically safe, healthy work environments. She champions coaching as a core leadership approach—fostering team empowerment, continuous learning, and collaborative problem-solving. Her leadership has directly contributed to measurable improvements in patient satisfaction, clinic efficiency, and staff engagement. Fabiana combines operational excellence with a human-centric mindset. She is a member of key hospital committees including Pathways to Excellence and the Healthy Workforce Environment Committee, and she actively contributes to quality improvement, research, and policy development. Fabiana holds a Bachelor’s in Nursing, post-graduation courses in nephrology, kidney transplantation, mentorship, research and is currently completing a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership at Warwick University. Her clinical background includes advanced practice in kidney transplantation, along with certification and licensed as Registered Nurse independent/Supplementary prescriber in the United Kingdom. She is a sought-after speaker on topics related to leadership, emotional intelligence, and workforce wellbeing. Her current research includes, generational emotional resilience within nursing, leadership expectations and the impact of self-care cultures on nurse burnout. Fabiana believes that leadership is not about titles, but about creating space where others feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow